Summary
Astronomers found an asteroid named 2025 MN45 that spins faster than any known asteroid of its size, completing a rotation every 1.88 minutes. This discovery was made using the largest digital camera at the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile. The study also identified 18 other fast-spinning asteroids among 1,900 newly detected ones.
Key Facts
- The asteroid 2025 MN45 is 2,329 feet wide and spins once every 1.88 minutes.
- It is one of 19 fast-rotating asteroids identified in the study.
- These fast-rotating asteroids are larger than a football field.
- The study used data from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile.
- The observatory's camera is the largest digital camera in the world.
- Asteroids usually can't spin faster without breaking, suggesting 2025 MN45 is unusually strong.
- The study found asteroids spinning faster than the typical limit of 2.2 hours.
- Most of the fast-spinning asteroids are located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
